Real Life Fairy Tale
by Black Knight 03
Summary: 1st story in the Fairy Tale Collection. Miranda gets her heart broken and when Gordo tries to help heal it, they discover a new side to their relationship. MG
1. Snowed In

Disclaimer – Disney owns Lizzie McGuire. Everything else is mine.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_ , Miranda and Gordo are 24.

Chapter 1 – Snowed In

Gordo stood at the window of his gate at Kennedy Airport, watching the snow falling outside. _"Its supposed to be close to two feel." _He let out a tired sigh, _"Mom is gonna kill me."_

After working on an independent film in New York City for the past six months, he was going home for Hanukkah. Not only was it his first break from working on the film, it was also his first chance to go home since the previous summer. He was worn out and had been looking forward to getting away, if just for a few weeks. But now, thanks to a sudden Nor'easter, he was stuck in New York.

As he stood at the window, watching the sky darkening, he overheard two men standing nearby.

"Check out the babe walking up to the counter," one of them said to the other.

"Wish my wife still looked like that," the second answered causing them both to start laughing.

Gordo rolled his eyes but still looked over his shoulder. He watched an attractive brunette walking up to the counter. She was wearing a white blouse underneath a black leather jacket, black dress pants and heels. Sure she was beautiful but there was something else about her that kept his attention.

As realization slowly donned on him, a small smile appeared on Gordo's face. _"She's supposed to be in Paris."_

Walking away from the windows, he slowly made his way towards the counter. By the time the woman reached the counter, Gordo was standing right behind her.

"Is Flight 316 cancelled yet?" the woman asked. Hearing the woman's voice, Gordo's smile grew wider.

The man behind the counter looked up from his computer screen. "Not yet. We'll have another update in a few minutes."

"Thanks."

As the man went back to work, the woman adjusted the strap of her messenger bag and began to look around for a place to sit.

"Miranda."

At hearing her name, Miranda turned around. Instantly, she recognized the man standing in front of her. "Oh my god!" she yelled as she dropped her bag. Ignoring the weird looks the people nearby gave them, "Gordo!" She literally jumped at him, wrapping her arms around him in a fierce hug.

Gordo tried not to laugh at her antics and returned the hug.

After a few minutes, she let go and in a fluid motion grabbed his hand and her bag. Leading them over to two empty chairs, they sat down. Miranda started talking a mile a minute, "What are you doing here? Are you still working on your movie? How is everyone?"

Gordo started laughing. "Breathe Miranda." Miranda tried to give him a dirty look but couldn't hide her smile. "I'm still working on the film and we just went on break. I'm heading home for Hanukkah," Gordo answered.

Since he first saw her, he had been wondering why she was here and not in Paris. _"In her last email, she didn't mention anything about coming home."_ "How's Paris?" he asked cautiously.

Following graduation from college, Miranda had gotten the chance to go to Paris and work with various fashion design companies. "It was great," she answered with a huge smile. "The city is so beautiful and it was so much fun working with the designers. But my parents wanted me to come home for the holiday too."

Gordo smiled, it was obvious she had a great time. "When are you going back?" It had seemed like a simple enough question when he asked it but Gordo wasn't expecting the reaction he got.

Miranda's face faltered for just a moment, but just as quickly, her smile returned. If he hadn't known her so well, he would've missed it completely. "I'm not going back. I'm a little homesick and I want to start doing my own stuff," Miranda quickly answered.

He knew there was something she was holding back but also knew he shouldn't press it.

Before either could say anything else, they were interrupted by the public address system. "Attention passengers of Flight 316 to Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. Flight 316 as been cancelled due to the inclement weather. The flight will be rescheduled once the weather clears." Once they heard the flight was cancelled, they stopped listening.

"Great. Now what the hell am I going to do?" Miranda groaned slamming her fist into the chair's armrest.

Gordo grinned at her and stood up. Taking her hand, he gently pulled her to her feet. "You're coming with me."

"Gordo!" she yelped as she landed on her feet. "Where are we going?" she asked as he pulled her away from the gate.

Gordo lead her through the hallways of the airport and eventually into the luggage return. "After we get our luggage, we're going to my hotel room."

Miranda grabbed her bags as they came around on the conveyer belt. "Hotel room?" she asked sarcastically with a smirk.

"Very funny," he said grabbing his bags. "The producers of the film are renting a bunch of hotel rooms to house the cast and crew. As assistant director, I got one of the suites."

"Don't guys normally get a girl drunk before they take her back to the hotel room?" Miranda joked as they walked outside.

"That's if you want to have sex with her," he shot back. He then grinned at her, "You're lucky I'm not attracted to you."

In retort, Miranda slapped him upside the head and in a mock rage, stormed past him. As she looked back at him with a small grin, Gordo grinned back at her and started laughing softly.

Miranda started laughing too and watched Gordo walk up to her as she stood on the curb trying to hail a cab.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I missed you Rand," he told her. Gordo wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "No one can quite irate me like you."

Miranda playfully elbowed him in the ribs and they both started laughing again. She then turned to him and with a smile, "I missed you too Gordo."


	2. Home Away From Home

supgirljen – Thanks for beta reading this and convincing me to post this.

brie, era, Atlanta Enchanted, the gifted one – Thanks for the reviews, I wasn't sure how this would get received but I'm glad I posted it.

Espanachick – Thanks for the review too. Are you going to continue While You Were Gone? It's a good story and can't wait to read more of it.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 2 – Home Away From Home

After a twenty minute cab ride through the city, they arrived at the Washington Hotel in Manhattan. After getting out, Gordo went to pay for the ride and get their luggage, while Miranda stood on the sidewalk looking around. _"When he said he was staying at a hotel I was expecting something like a Holiday Inn. There as to be like fifteen floors to this place."_

Gordo's hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts. Miranda looked over at him, "How can an independent film afford this?"

Gordo lead them through the large glass main door and into the lobby. "Just because there's no large studio backing us, doesn't mean the producers don't have money."

"Good evening Mr. Gordon," the women at the desk said to him. Miranda snickered at hearing Gordo being called something so formal. Gordo looked at her and raised his eyebrows, she just shrugged.

Gordo flashed her a quick smile and then turned his attention back to the desk. Miranda felt a quick rush, _"What was that?"_

Before she could think of it too much, Gordo was next to her again. "Ready?"

Miranda shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Yea." She followed him through the lobby and into the elevator.

The ride up was quiet. Gordo was leaned against the back wall of the elevator and closed his eyes. Miranda studied him, _"He looks so tired."_

The elevator reached the floor and the doors slid opened. "Gordo?" Miranda called softly.

Gordo slowly opened his eyes and looked at her questioningly. After grabbing her bags, she motioned with her head towards the open doors and walked out into the hallway. Letting out a tired sigh, Gordo pushed himself off the wall, grabbed his bags off the floor, and walked out of the elevator.

Miranda followed him down the hallway until he finally stopped in front of one of the doors. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the card key and unlocked the door.

Following him inside, Miranda looked around. It was a large room with a queen size bed, a large dresser, a table with two chairs, a couch, and a bathroom. _"Not bad."_ Standing in the center of the room, she heard Gordo's bags drop to the floor. Looking over, she watched him drop onto the couch. Putting her bags down by the dresser, she walked over and sat down next to him.

After a few minutes, Gordo looked over at her. "Hungry?" Miranda raised her eyebrows at him and Gordo laughed. "Of course." Getting up slowly, he walked over to the bed and grabbed the phone off the nearby end table. Dialing in the number for room service, he order two cheeseburgers, two cokes, and an order of french fries.

Hanging up and turning towards her. "It'll be ready in about twenty minutes." He walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of black sweats. "I'm going to go take a shower."

Miranda nodded and watched him walk into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Kicking off her heels and taking off her jacket, she laid out on the couch and rolled over on to her side. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she just stared at the far wall. She was tired, it had been a long flight from Paris to New York and while she had been looking forward to going home, she hadn't been looking forward to the flight. _"Nothing like a trans-Atlantic flight to zap your energy,"_ she thought as she let out a huge yawn.

The next thing she knew, she was being gently shaken. Opening her eyes, Miranda found herself looking at Gordo. _"How come I never noticed how blue his eyes are?"_

"Miranda?"

"Uh?" She quickly snapped awake and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "How long was I asleep?"

Gordo shrugged as he was kneeling next to the couch. "About a half an hour." He stood up and motioned towards the table, "Foods here."

Sitting up, Miranda stretched her arms above her head.

Standing up, she went to take a step towards the table but tripped over one of her heels that she discarded on the floor. Just as she was falling forward, she crashed into something soft and a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

As she slowly regained her footing, Gordo kept his arms around her waist and Miranda put her hands on his chest. For a few moments, they just stood there looking at each other. Miranda licked her lips and like in slow motion, they're heads slowly titled forward. But just before their lips met, the phone rang.

Being suddenly jolted out of the moment, both their heads snapped back and they quickly broke apart, stumbling backwards a few steps. The phone rang a second time but the both seemed to be frozen in place. Finally after the third ring, they snapped back to reality.

"I…I… I should answer that," Gordo stammered.

"Yea." Miranda looked at the floor desperately trying not to look at him. As he went to answer the phone, she walked over to the table and sat down. Propping her head up with her hand, she closed her eyes. _"This is the last thing I need, especially with Gordo."_

Miranda listened as Gordo was talking to his mother, explaining what had happened. _"Plus he doesn't need to deal with my crap."_

Grabbing a french fry and twirling it around her fingers, she desperately tried to push aside any romantic thought about Gordo.

Gordo hung up and sat down across from her. "My mom is going to call yours and will explain what happened."

"Thanks," Miranda said without looking up.

As they ate, an uneasy silence filled the room. By the time they finished, both were lost in their own thoughts.

Miranda looked up from her plate and watched him. His eyes were slightly closed and he looked like he was looking down at the table. She didn't even realize she was staring until Gordo looked up and their eyes locked.

Miranda felt a chill run down her spine again and quickly looked away. _"I need to get out of here,"_ abruptly standing up, "I'm gonna get ready for bed." Grabbing one of her bags, she practically ran into the bathroom.

Gordo leaned back in his chair. Letting out a deep breath, he ran his hand through his hair. Getting up, he put the plates back on the cart and wheeled it out to the hall for the staff to pick up.

Walking back inside the room, he could hear the shower running. Gordo sat down on the couch _"What the hell is going on?"_ He looked at his reflection in a mirror on the opposite wall, _"It was nice holding her like that."_ Letting out a frustrated groan, he leaned back against the couch and grabbed the remote control.

Looking for anything to distract him, he turned on the TV and started to flip through the stations. _"Infomercial. Soap. Game Show. Old movie."_ After finding nothing, he shut it off and tossed the remote onto the coffee table.

Immediately his thoughts returned to Miranda and he tried to push it aside. _"I'm just tired, not thinking straight. I've been away for six months, buried under so much work, my social life is almost non-existent. Miranda's the first women outside work that I've seen in a long time."_

Gordo's thoughts were interrupted by Miranda walking out of the bathroom. She walked out drying her hair with a towel. Miranda was wearing a pair of sky blue pajama bottoms and a blue UCLA t-shirt. Gordo had always thought Miranda was pretty but looking at her without the makeup and fashion, he noticed for the first time just how beautiful she really was. _"Whoa."_

Miranda wrapped the towel around her neck, looked up and caught him staring at her. "What?" she asked self consciously.

Gordo shook his head, "I…I…uh…Nothing," he stammered.

Miranda looked at him like he was crazy, "Ok." After putting the towel back in the bathroom, she walked over to the bed and grabbed a pillow and blanket.

"What are you doing?" Gordo asked standing up.

"I'm getting the couch ready."

"You're not sleeping on the couch. You take the bed, I'll take the couch."

"Its your bed, I'll be fine on the couch."

Gordo walked over to her, took the pillow and blanket out of her hands and tossed them onto the couch. "You're taking the bed and that's the end of it."

"You sure?" He nodded at her. "Alright."

As Miranda walked over to the bed, Gordo turned off the lights and laid down on the couch.

Miranda lay down on the bed and pulled the covers around her. The second her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.

During the night, Miranda began to grow restless and started thrashing around. Waking up in a cold sweet, she bolted up into a sitting position. Calming down a bit, she could feel her pulse racing and something fall down her cheek. Reaching up, she whipped her cheek and released she had been crying in her sleep.

Getting up quickly, she walked into the bathroom. Turning on the water, she splashed her face with cold water. Shutting off the water, Miranda stood up and looked at her reflection in her mirror. _"I have gotta get past this, he's not worth it. I should be with someone who actually cares about me."_

Walking out of the bathroom, she looked over at the couch and saw Gordo curled up in a ball with the blanket wrapped around him, shivering slightly. Walking over to him, she bent down and watched him sleep. _"Someone like Gordo."_

Watching him sleep for a few minutes, she decided it wasn't fair for him to freeze. So she reached out and gently shook him.

Rolling over to face her, Gordo slowly opened his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked tiredly..

"You're cold."

"I am not," Gordo grumbled stubbornly. "Go back to bed."

"Gordo, you're shaking. We'll share the bed." Before he could protest, she grabbed his arm and tried to pull him off the couch.

Reluctantly, Gordo got up. "Fine." He was too tired to argue with her. Grabbing the pillow and blanket, he let Miranda lead him over to the bed.

Once they were under the covers, Gordo looked over at her. "Happy now?"

"Yes," she answered with a small smile and then stuck her tongue out at him.

Gordo rolled his eyes and grinned. As he lay there, he watched Miranda's eyes slowly close and her breathing slow down. "Night Miranda," Gordo whispered as he closed his own eyes and quickly fell asleep.


	3. Morning

To all my reviewers – Thank you. I really wasn't sure how this fic would be received or if it was any good. I'm my own worst critic, especially when it comes to my writing. Also, if you don't understand why I did something or gotta question about the fic, I'd be happy to answer it. Not guaranteeing its going to make sense to anyone but me (lol), but I'll give you an answer.

Espanachick – I really liked the story and I'm glad you're trying to continue it.

starcraze – When I read a story, I personally like having thoughts separated in someway. IMO, it makes it easier to understand what's what. Though if others share your opinion, I'd be more than willing to take them out and/or replace them with something else.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 3 – Morning

Gordo was deep asleep when he felt something move against him. Stirring and slowly opening his eyes, he looked down and found himself looking at black hair. He smiled as he realized what he was looking at.

Sometime during the night, they had shifted. He was laying on his back and Miranda was draped over him, asleep. She was laying half over him, with an arm across his chest and a leg across his. If he had been fully awake, his brain would've screamed at him that this was wrong. But at that moment, he was too tired and way to comfortable to move her.

Gordo tightened his grip around her waist and she snuggled closer to him. His body started responding to her reaction and Gordo tried very hard to keep himself in control.

Slowly, Miranda began to stir and Gordo watched her wake up. She opened her eyes and looked around. Finally, she looked up at him and blushed as she realized their position but she didn't move either. "Morning," she said quietly.

"Morning," he said with a small smile.

She smiled back at him. "We should get up."

"Yea." He agreed but neither made any effort to move.

"You're gonna have to let go if I'm gonna get up." Part of her wanted Gordo to let go but the other wanted to go farther.

"I'm in no hurry."

"Oh really. Since when are you this playful?" she teased.

"I've decided to stop overanalyzing things and live in the moment," he said pulling her closer. By now, neither were capable of any rationale thought and their bodies had taken over.

Miranda reached up, ran her fingers through his hair. "About time," she whispered as she slid completely ontop of him. She slid her arms underneath his shoulders and slowly lowered her head.

Just as their lips were about to meet, Miranda pulled back fast and sat up quickly. Gordo shocked and surprised, saw an almost terrified expression on her face. "Miranda?" he whispered. He reached up and softly touched her cheek.

"I…I …I can't do this," she stammered. She then quickly jumped off him and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

She left Gordo stunned and confused on the bed. _"What the hell?"_ Getting up, he walked over to the bathroom door.

Leaning against it, he tried to hear anything from inside. "Miranda?" He could faintly hear her crying. "Are you ok?" He got no answer.

"Miranda. You're scaring me. Open the door," he said louder.

After a few moments, which to Gordo felt like hours, he heard the door unlock. Taking a step back, he watched the door open. Miranda slowly came out, tears rolling down her face. She walked over to the bed, sat down and looked down at the floor.

Gordo kneeled in front of her. "Rand?" The concern and worry was obvious in his voice. Gordo was worried he had done something to upset her and was willing to do anything to apologize.

She took a deep breath and started to wipe the tears away. Slowly looking up and into his eyes, Miranda felt her heart wrench. _"He thinks its his fault."_ She slowly reached out and touched his cheek. "I'm sorry I freaked out like that," she said softly.

"What's wrong?" Gordo slowly and carefully put his hands on her knees.

_"Why does he have to be so damn sweet."_ She took a deep breath, "Its nothing you did." She looked away for a few moments, trying to figure how to word this right.

Looking back at him, she couldn't help but flinch slightly as she saw the concern in his eyes. "I'm not just staying home because I was homesick," she told him.

"Ok." He stood up and sat down next to her on the bed. "So what is it?"

Miranda looked down at her lap. "When I was in Paris, I met somebody."

She looked down at her hands in her lap. "His name was Ryan. I thought he was perfect. He swept me off my feet, he was charming, sweet, really cute…" she paused and looked up at Gordo. "I'm sorry, I…"

"Don't worry about it," he said as he put his arm around her. "Keep going."

"We got really close. After about seven months, things got serious." She stopped again and leaned into Gordo.

"Miranda?" Gordo started to slowly rub her side.

"He proposed Gordo," she said and then started crying again.

Gordo pulled her into a hug and she cried against his shoulder.

After a few minutes, Miranda pulled herself together. She kept her head against his shoulder but continued in a low, soft voice. "I was just supposed to come home for the holidays but about a month ago, Lizzie asked me to open a shop with her. Ryan found out and got angry. He wanted me to stay in Paris, get married, and have our lives in Paris. When I told him I was taking the offer, he made me choose between him and home. I know we were only together for a short time but I thought we were in love."

"Rand."

She lifted her head and looked over at him. Gordo wiped away some stray tears. "He was a jerk, nobody should stop you from going after what you want."

She gave him a weak smile. "Typical Gordo."

He smiled back at her. "Would you want anything else."

She shook her head no.

"How about you get cleaned up, I'll call the airport about our flight, then order some breakfast."

When Gordo took her arms off her, Miranda felt a pang of disappointment but quickly pushed it aside. _"Not now!"_

Letting out a deep sigh, "Thanks Gordo." She stood up and took a few steps towards the bathroom, when she decided something. Turning around, she waited until Gordo was standing. "Gordo."

"Hmm?" he said looking over at her.

"I know I don't say this enough but you're really a sweet guy and a great friend. Someday I hope you find someone who's worthy of you." She then leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Pulling back, Miranda let out a small laugh as she took in his flustered expression.

"Th…Thanks," Gordo stuttered. He watched her walk into the bathroom and then let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding in.

As he walked around the bed to the phone, a war was brewing inside him. He knew she needed a friend and he'd be there for her but there was something else, something new.

Grabbing the phone, he let out a frustrated growl as he punched in the number for the airport. _"There's no question. I can't take advantage of her, she means too much to me. I gotta push everything else aside and just be there for her."_ He sat down on the edge of the bed, waiting for someone to answer. _"No matter how hard it is."_


	4. Mistletoe

To all my reviewers – Thanks. I'm loving how well this is getting received.

Espanachick – A bit of what's been happening to Lizzie is in this chapter, towards the end. She will be in two of the later chapters. Basically while Gordo was in New York City and Miranda in Paris, Lizzie was back in Hill Ridge/California.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 4 – Mistletoe

They had been back for almost a week and Miranda hadn't seen Gordo since they had arrived home. Gordo had been busy the majority of the week with his family and Hanukkah and Lizzie had kept her busy with the beginning work for their shop.

At the moment, Miranda was in her old room and looking at her reflection in a full length mirror. The McGuires were throwing a holiday party and she hoped to atleast see Gordo.

She was wearing a silver asian style dress, with black trim and white flowers decorating it. The dress fell just below her knees. After slipping on her sandals, she looked over her dress and tried to smooth down imaginary wrinkles.

As she looked at her reflection, her thoughts wondered to Gordo. _"Getting involved with Gordo is the last thing I need especially with what happened with Ryan."_ She let out a defeated sigh, _"But Gordo's not just some guy."_ Running a hand through her hair, _"I'm so confused."_

After one last look in the mirror, she quickly walked downstairs and outside to her parent's car.

As her father drove them to the McGuire's, Miranda just stared out the windows watching the decorated houses pass by. Christmas had always been her favorite time of the year but right now she just couldn't get excited. She was still hurt from what Ryan did and too confused about what exactly was happening between Gordo and her.

Reaching the McGuire's, she slowly got out and began walking towards the door.

"Hija." Stopping and turning around, she faced her mother. "Are you alright? You seem a little sad." Mrs. Sanchez walked up to her daughter and gently placed her hands on Miranda's shoulders.

"I'm fine, just still a little tired. I'm still not used to the time change," she lied and hoped her mom would buy it.

"Ok. But if you want to leave, just tell me." Mrs. Sanchez then kissed her daughter's forehead lightly and walked inside.

Letting out a breath, Miranda followed her mother inside. _"This outta be fun."_

At first she didn't recognize any of the people. _"They must be friends of the McGuires."_ She slowly made her way through the crowd and spotted her twelve year old sister, Gabrielle, desperately trying to attract Matt's attention away from the older girls. She laughed softly, as she watched her for a few minutes.

Matt was no longer the short, spiky haired kid anymore. He was now twenty one and a junior at USC. Matt had shot up to almost six feet and his hair was no longer spiky but slicked down. He was also Gabrielle's first crush ever since he had babysat her back when he was in high school.

Turning around, she was going to the kitchen to get a drink. But just as she turned, she slammed into someone. Opening her eyes, she was startled to find herself looking into a pair of familiar blue eyes. "Gordo," she said softly.

Taking a step back, she slowly looked Gordo up and down. He was weaning a charcoal gray dress shirt, black pants, and black dress shoes. _"Damn he looks good,"_ she thought biting her bottom lip.

"He…Hey," Gordo stammered, obviously startled too by running into her. His hands started to shake slightly. "You look nice."

Miranda tried her hardest not to blush. "You too."

"So…What have you been up to?"

Without realizing it, she folded her arms across her waist and started to fiddle with her bracelets. "Me and Lizzie have been working on getting our shop started. You?"

"Family bonding, Hanukkah stuff." He stuffed his hands into his pants pockets to stop them from shaking. "So…where were you going before you tried to run me over," he joked hoping it would lighten the mood.

Miranda laughed nervously. "I was going to get a drink before you got in my way," she shot back.

"Care for some company?" he asked softly.

Miranda nodded and they walked through the crowd and into the kitchen.

After Gordo got them two sodas, they were talking and walking underneath the archway out of the kitchen and into the living room but were stopped by Mrs. McGuire. "Not so fast you two."

They both looked at her with identical confused looks. But Mrs. McGuire just smiled at them and pointed up.

Gordo suddenly got a sense of dread as they slowly looked up. _"Mistletoe."_

Mrs. McGuire softly laughed at the expression on their faces. "Its tradition."

They turned to each other, and put their drinks down on a nearby table. Miranda forced a smile, "Its just a silly tradition."

"Yea. Its not like its going to mean anything," he said trying to convince himself more than her.

"Right."

They both closed their eyes and leaned in. It was only meant to be a small peck but once their lips met, something took over. When their lips touched, they instantly deepened the kiss. Miranda's hands grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and Gordo's hands found the small of her back.

Mrs. McGuire was a little surprised and taken aback by the kiss. But she knew it had been only a matter of time before Miranda, like Lizzie before her, finally realized what a great guy Gordo was. She let out a small cough, to let them know she was still there and to break the kiss.

They both quickly pulled back from each other, breathless. "We…We…We need to talk," Gordo stammered again.

Miranda could only nod. Everything else was oblivious to them as they quickly walked outside.

As they stood in the backyard both looked at the other nervously, neither sure exactly what to say. They slowly walked towards each other, never breaking eye contact but not saying anything.

Miranda couldn't help but smile as she watched Gordo practically shaking in front of her. _"Why does he have to be so damn adorable."_

They stood, a few inches apart, staring at each other. Miranda slowly reached out and touched his cheek. As her thumb brushed across his lips, he kissed it and sent a shiver done her spine. _"Why does that keep happening."_

Gordo's arms wrapped around her waist and Miranda's around his neck. Both closed their eyes and leaned in. Just as their lips met again, a loud yell and thunderous applause interrupted them.

"Damn," Gordo muttered under his breath. _"I've gotta have the worst timing in the freakin world."_

Miranda smiled slightly as she heard him, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. Gordo held her tighter and took a deep breath. _"Violets,"_ he mused to himself as he took in her scent.

"We should go back inside," Miranda said softly. Even though she knew they should go back in, she really didn't want to leave Gordo's arms.

"Yea, we should." But like in New York, neither made any effort to move out of the other's embrace.

They heard a second loud applause. "I wonder what's happening in there?" Miranda asked as she picked her head up and looked back inside.

"I'm guessing Todd proposed to Liz."

Miranda's head whipped around, "What?"

Todd and Lizzie had meet their senior year in college and had been dating for about three years.

"I bumped into him at the mall a couple of days ago and he told me."

"I don't know what I'm more surprised about, Todd proposing or you actually willingly went to a mall," she said laughing.

Leaning in a little, Gordo whispered in her ear. "You keep making fun of me and I won't give you your Christmas present."

Miranda tried to act calm but a deep blush was forming on her cheeks and her breathing speed up. "Fine. I'll play nice," she teased back.

Finally, Gordo reluctantly let go of her. "We need to talk." He looked up at the night sky for a few seconds, then back at her. "What's happening?"

"I don't know." They walked over to the back patio and sat down on the steps. "I'm still hurting but I can't stop myself when I'm around you," Miranda told him as she looked down at the grass in front of them.

"I feel the same way." Gordo looked straight out at nothing in particular. "I keep trying to rationalize it. Like I'm overworked or something." He then looked over at her, "But its not true."

Miranda reached out and brushed some hair out of his face. Gordo grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it. "At first, I thought whatever is happening was because you know how to get around my defenses. You're probably one of the few that really understands me."

Miranda chuckled softly. "Gordo, you're not some kind of enigma." Then she sobered, "But?"

Gordo swallowed, then continued. "You remember in New York, when you came out of the bathroom, drying your hair and you caught me staring." She nodded. "I keep seeing the mental image in my head over and over. Its like I saw you for the first time, I mean really saw you." He paused, not sure if she should continue. Miranda squeezed his hand and Gordo gained the courage. "Not just as my best friend but a woman, a really attractive woman."

Miranda felt her pulse start racing. "But I was just wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and an old t-shirt. I didn't even have any makeup on." She thought she looked plain, not remotely pretty and especially not attractive.

Gordo grinned at her. "I know," he said as he let go of her hand and gently stroked her cheek. Miranda felt her face heat up even more.

"Gordo. When I get my head on straight again, remind me to say something just as sweet to you."

"You got it." They both laughed breaking the awkward tension between them.

They leaned back against the stairs and looked up at the stars. As Gordo was trying to pick out constellations while Miranda's head was spinning. _"Maybe everything isn't as horrible as I first thought. I have to get over Ryan, its not fair to him."_ She then looked over at him and smiled, _"Especially since I'm falling for him."_


	5. Christmas Morning

To my reviewers - Thank you, I can't believe I got over 30 reviews so far. Like I said before, you gotta a question about something, just ask.

supgirljen – Thanks for beta reading my stuff and am sorry that my muse won't shut up. LOL

D.Torres – You're right. What goes up, must come down. Though while Ryan won't physically appear in this story, his "presence" will be felt in later chapters. I just couldn't come up with a way to bring him in that I was happy with.

the gifted one – LOL, thanks. I like both your stories too. I hate it when good stories just die.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 5 – Christmas Morning

A few days after the party, it was Christmas Day. After opening presents and going to church with her family, Miranda was slowly walking down Draper Avenue, Gordo's street. She was going to give Gordo a late Hanukkah gift, or at least that was the idea.

Ever since the party, her head was spinning. It was busy trying to make sense of everything that was happening. Miranda knew she had to get over Ryan, that was a given. But the problem was trying to figure out what was happening between Gordo and her. She couldn't stop thinking about him and that's what scared her. "Am I really falling in love with him or am I just that hurt."

Reaching the Gordon's house, she met Mr. and Mrs. Gordon coming out. "Merry Christmas Miranda," Mrs. Gordon said as she met her on the driveway.

"Happy Hanukkah. Um…Is Gordo home?" she asked bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.

Mrs. Gordon smiled at her and it made her a bit uneasy, like she knew something she didn't. "Yes. The bum is in his room. Go on in, you know where the extra key is."

Using the extra key, hidden in a fake rock by the door, she unlocked the door and walked inside. Closing and locking the door behind her, she slowly walked up the stairs. It felt like it took forever just to climb to the top.

Reaching his door, she paused, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

Opening the door and walking inside, a smile crept on her face. She found Gordo asleep on his side, curled up a little bit, underneath a blanket. Kicking off her sneakers, she quietly walked over and gently sat down on the bed.

For a few minutes, she just watched him sleep. _"He looks so peaceful."_ Carefully reaching over him, she put the gift on his nightstand. Sitting against the wall at the head of the bed, she just sat there and watched him. _"Abuela said you know if you're in love, if you can just be content watching them sleep."_ She took a deep breath, _"So does that mean I'm in love within him?"_

She watched as Gordo rolled over onto his back and slowly opened his eyes. He looked up at her and blinked a few times to make sure she was really there and he wasn't dreaming.

She smiled down at him, "Morning."

"Morning." He rubbed his eyes and stretched. "What are you doing here?" He then grinned, "Not that am I complaining about waking up to a beautiful girl."

Miranda felt her face flush. He had called her beautiful or pretty before but this time, it just seemed different.

"I came here to…uh…" her mind had gone blank. Looking up she saw the present on the nightstand. "Present," she blurted out. Gordo looked at her oddly. "I mean I came to give you your Hanukkah gift." She reached over him and tried to grab the present.

Losing her balance, Miranda fell across Gordo's chest. On instinct, Gordo wrapped his arms around her as she fell over him.

After recovering, Miranda's face hovered a few inches above his. Looking up at her, her black hair seemed to frame her face and he could smell her scent.

Gordo reached up with one hand and threaded his fingers through her hair. Miranda slowly repositioned herself, so she was now laying ontop of him and wrapped her own arms around his chest. She slowly lowered her head and when their lips met, it was like a switch was turned on and their bodies took over.

Gordo tightened his grip around her waist and suddenly flipped them, so he was now on top. He started kissing the nape of her neck, which caused Miranda to moan and she intertwined her legs with his.

One of Miranda's hands slid behind his neck and the other grabbed the waistband of his sweatpants. Gordo lowered his hand from her hair and ran it down her back. He slipped his other hand from underneath her and slipping it under her shirt, gently cupped one of her breasts, which got another moan from Miranda.

Miranda had had enough of the teasing and roughly grabbed the back of his neck brought his lips to hers and they started making out. As they kissed, she began to pull his sweatpants down as he was pushing her t-shirt up.

As things began to heat up, a voice in the back of Gordo's head began to whisper to him, _"Stop."_

With Gordo pants down below his knees and Miranda's shirt tossed aside, the voice got louder in his head. _"Stop."_

As Gordo's shirt was thrown off, he started kissing down Miranda's stomach as he unbutton her jeans. Then the voice screamed at him. _"Stop!"_

Gordo quickly let go off her and sat up on his knees. His eyes were wide and he was breathing hard. Miranda looked up at him stunned and confused. "Gordo?" she asked softly.

"We…We can't."

Miranda suddenly grew angry, even though she knew he was right but she wasn't thinking clearly to begin with. "What? Don't I turn you on? You're repulsed by me aren't you? You're just like Ryan!" At first she was yelling but now she started crying.

He gently took her hands. "Miranda." When she wouldn't look at him, he called her name again. "Miranda." As her eyes met his, he continued. "That's not it."

Gordo tried to pull himself together but it hurt him to know he upset her. "God. You have no idea what you do to me. I…I just don't want to do something we'll regret later."

"Regret?" she asked tiredly; looking up at him through teary eyes.

Gordo pulled his sweatpants up and laid down next to her. "You're still hurt from Ryan and I couldn't live with myself if I took advantage of you."

Miranda reached out and gently ran the back of her hand down his cheek. "Figures I fall for the one guy who thinks that's a bad thing." She snuggled up next to him and put her head down on the other end of his pillow. "Yes, Ryan really hurt me and I was scared that the only reason things were happening between us was because I was on the rebound."

"Me too. The last thing I want to do is screw up our relationship."

Miranda studied his face. "Me too."

Gordo slid his arms around her waist. "So now what."

Miranda smiled softly at him. "We take it slow." She reached across him and grabbed the forgotten gift. "This is for you."

Gordo, letting her go, took the gift and opened it. Unwrapping the gift, it was an antique pocket watch. He picked it out of the box and held in his palm.

"I saw it in an antique store in Níce and it reminded me of you."

Gordo raised his eyebrows and grinned at her, "What old and out dated?"

"No," she laughed as she smacked his shoulder. Miranda then closed his hand around it and put her hand over his. "A classic, one of a kind."

Gordo looked away and smiled, rolling over he gently put the watch ontop of his nightstand and then opened a drawer. Rolling back over, he had a wrapped box in his hand. "Here's your present."

She sat up and took the box. Miranda tore open the wrapping paper and opened the box. Inside the box was a simple silver bracelet. Gently lifting it up, she cradled it in her palm and watched as the light reflected of it. "Gordo this had to have cost too much."

Gordo snickered, "As much as an antique pocket watch?"

Miranda knew he had her. "Thanks." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the nose.

Gordo gave her an odd look, which cause Miranda to laugh again.

Putting the bracelet around her wrist, Gordo took the empty box and put it on the nightstand next to the watch. Rolling back onto his side, he propped his head up with his hand. Watching her as she inspected the bracelet, he slowly memorized the curves of her body.

As his eyes wondered, he noticed something. "Miranda?" he asked with a wry smile.

"Hmm?" She was looking into his eyes daydreaming and didn't notice his amused expression.

He grinned at her, reached out and touched the small of her back. "A butterfly?" he asked as he traced the outline with his finger.

Coming back to reality, she grinned. "A souvenir," she joked. Miranda involuntarily shivered as she felt his fingers on her.

"You know most people would just buy a t-shirt or pen," he said sarcastically as he continued to trace the outline of the tattoo over and over.

"I'm not most people," she said as laid down on her side.

"Oh I know." He laughed and Miranda slapped him in the side, which caused him to laugh even harder.

Miranda rolled over onto her side; facing away from him, pretending to be mad but Gordo could see her shake slightly as she laughed. Moving closer to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and she leaned back into him.

"Gordo?" She rolled over so she was facing him and put her arms around his chest. "How long are you going to be in New York?"

"Four months. I come back early May. Just in time for someone's birthday."

She rolled her eyes but kept her smile. Then she grew serious, "Four months," she repeated. _"I hope it's enough time."_

Gordo interrupted her thoughts. "I think it'll be good for us. Give us sometime apart to figure out what's happening."

Miranda didn't know why but suddenly she felt like she was losing him and she was going to be alone again. "Promise me you'll come back."

She watched as he grew serious too. "There is nothing that will keep me away." Then his boyish grin appeared. "But for now," he said as he leaned forward and kissed the nape of her neck. "I just want to stay like this."

Miranda let out a content sigh as his lips touched her skin. "Fine by me."

The rest of the morning, they just lay together in his bed curled up together under the blanket. For the next three days they spent every waking moment together. On the fourth day, Miranda watched as Gordo boarded his return flight to New York. _"Four months,"_ she kept repeating to herself as she watched his plane pull away. _"Four months."_


	6. Another Bump In The Road

To my reviewers – Thanks.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 6 – Another Bump In The Road

Lizzie paced around the luggage claim as her fiancé, Todd Braden, watched her trying not to laugh out loud. "Lizzie," he called after her. "Will you calm down. His flight doesn't even arrive for another half an hour."

Lizzie stopped suddenly and spun around. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, "I can't help it, I'm excited." Todd let out a laugh as he took in Lizzie's eager expression.

"How come Miranda didn't come with us?" Todd asked as he watched Lizzie walk back to him.

Lizzie shrugged. "She's been acting kinda weird all week." She sat down next to him. "She got some letter on Tuesday and freaked out."

Todd turned towards her, "A letter from David?"

She shook her head no. "I would've recognized the handwriting and the return address was Paris. I think it was from Ryan."

"The guy who she left in Paris?"

About a month after Gordo left, Miranda felt it was the right time to tell everyone else what had happened in Paris.

Lizzie nodded sitting down next to him. "Something in that letter set her off." She leaned back in the chair and folded her arms across her chest. "I know she loves him, she's just too scared to admit it."

"Ryan or David?" he asked.

Lizzie looked at him like he was nuts. "David," she snapped.

Todd recoiled a bit. "Sorry," he said putting his hands up in defense. "How do you know?"

A small smile appeared on her face. "Because everytime she hears his name, her whole face lights up."

Todd leaned in and whispered in her ear. "How about you? Does your face brighten up when you hear my name?" he teased.

"No," she deadpanned. Then the smile returned, she reached out and cupped his chin. "Of course it does."

They were interrupted by the announcement that Gordo's plane had arrived. A few minutes later, passengers started filling in. Todd watched Lizzie jump out of her seat and start bouncing again. He let out a small laugh as he watched her.

Lizzie watched the passengers file out and started searching the crowd for the familiar black curly hair.

Todd had learned early on in his relationship with Lizzie, that she and Gordo were very close. They had been friends since birth and had a very strong bond. While they had dated in the past, now they were like brother and sister.

Todd flinched as Lizzie let out a loud shriek. _"She must've spotted him,"_ he laughed to himself. He watched in amusement as she just took off at full speed into the crowd.

A few minutes later, Todd saw her walking back dragging Gordo with her. He grinned as he watched him try and keep up with her, "Lizzie! Will you slow down! You're gonna rip my arm off!"

Finally clear of the crowd, Lizzie spun around fast and hugged Gordo fiercely. "I missed you."

Gordo chuckled and returned the hug, "I missed you too McGuire."

Todd stood up. "Hands off my woman Gordon," he joked with a grin.

Letting go, he looked over Lizzie's shoulder. "Hi Todd." The two men shook hands.

The walk to the luggage claim was basically about how the wedding was coming and what was new with Lizzie. As they waited for his luggage, Todd held back a bit, giving them some privacy.

"So…How's the shop coming?" Gordo asked.

"Good. We'll be ready to open when I get back from the honeymoon." She then smiled at him. "Why don't you just ask me what you really want to know."

Gordo looked at her, "What?" She looked at him with a big smile, he laughed and shook his head. "You know me too well."

Lizzie snickered, "I know both of you well."

This peeked Gordo's interest. "Something I should know?" As well as she knew him, he could read her like a book.

"Nothing aside from our other best friend as been a bit cranky since…" she paused and tapped her lips with her finger for dramatic effect, "I believe Christmas."

She watched Gordo blush slightly and a goofy smile appear on his face. "I knew it!" she said grabbing onto his arm.

"Where is she anyway?" Gordo asked as he grabbed his bags.

Lizzie wasn't exactly sure what to tell him. "I think she's home. She's been a little off all week."

He looked at her. "A little off? Is she sick?" he asked concerned.

"Not sick." She let out a long breath. "You should just talk to her."

Walking outside towards the parking lot, "Liz. What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she said quietly.

Reaching Todd's car, Todd loaded Gordo's luggage into his trunk and Lizzie pulled Gordo aside. "She got a letter from Paris."

Hearing that, Gordo struggled to keep his temper in check. "From who?" he said as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

"It's not my place to…" Lizzie started but Gordo cut her off.

"Who?" he snapped at her.

Lizzie flinched. She knew Gordo could only be pushed so far. "I think it was Ryan."

Lizzie watched as Gordo ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes, he mumbled something under his breath. _"He's trying to calm down."_

Todd walked up to them, "Ready?"

Gordo didn't say anything but just nodded his head and walked towards the car. Todd gave Lizzie a questioning glance. "Don't," she told him.

Todd decided to let it go; he leaned in and kissed her forehead before walking back around to the driver's side.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, the only thing Gordo could think about was the letter Miranda had gotten.


	7. The Letter

To my reviewers – Thanks.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 7 – The Letter

As Gordo stood in his old room, he slowly looked around. There were boxes of his stuff that had been shipped from New York scattered across the room along with three suitcases and a duffel bag sitting on his bed.

He knew he should be unpacking but his mind was elsewhere. _"I can't pressure Miranda but I have to find out what was in that damn letter. I'm not losing her! Damn it, I love her!"_

Gordo's head snapped up and he blinked as he took in his last thought. _"I love her."_

_"Screw unpacking, I need to talk to her."_ Quickly walking out of his house, he started walking the block to the Sanchez's.

As he walked, the last four months started replaying in his head. The film had been fun to work on but when he came back from the break, it had lost some of its appeal. He hadn't realized just how much he'd miss Miranda, until her first email. She wrote what was happening, how the store was coming, and how much she wished she was there with him.

He found himself longing to go back, to be with her. Gordo couldn't go through the day without thinking about her and it killed him not just knowing she was hurting but that they were on opposite coasts. To say the least, his patience wore out fast.

Reaching the Sanchez's front door, he took a deep breath, reached out and rang the doorbell.

Gordo started fidgeting as he waited for someone to answer. _"Come on,"_ he said as he was getting impatient. After what felt like an eternity, Mrs. Sanchez answered.

"Gordo. Its nice to see you."

"Hi Mrs. Sanchez. Is Miranda around?"

Mrs. Sanchez let out a small sigh. "She's in her room," she said as she stepped aside to let Gordo in.

Gordo walked down the hallway and stopped as he reached Miranda's door. He knocked on the door but go no response.

"Miranda?" He still got no response, so he slowly opened the door and walked inside.

He found her asleep curled up in ball on her bed underneath an afghan. Gordo gently sat down on the edge of the bed. He saw a crumpled piece of paper nearby on the floor. _"The letter."_ With great constraint, he left it on the floor.

Gordo looked back at Miranda. He could see the tear tracks on her face, his heart wrenched. He reached out and gently stroked her hair.

Miranda slowly opened her eyes and Gordo gave her a small smile. "Hey."

"You're back," she said softly. She slowly sat up and wiped her face with her hand.

"I promised you I would," Gordo cupped her face and titled her head so she was looking at him. "Are you ok?" he asked hoarsely.

She sniffled and shook her head no. Gordo's heart felt like it was shattering into a billion pieces.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. Miranda buried her face against his chest and started crying. Holding her, Gordo felt a few tears run down his cheeks. He could hear her saying something but her cries and his chest muffled her words.

Gordo just held her tighter, rocking her and rubbing her back. After a few minutes, she seemed to calm down. Miranda slowly looked up at him. "Please tell me what's wrong," he asked as he continued to gently rub her back.

"Ryan sent me a letter." She took a breath and looked down at her lap. "He wants me back. He said he's changed and that he's sorry for making me choose. All that he wants is me back."

Gordo didn't say anything and Miranda was getting scared. "Say something. Please," she pleaded with him.

He kept his arms around her, pressed his forehead against her's and looked into her eyes. "What do you want?"

"I don't know." Her voice cracked, "I thought I knew but that stupid letter threw me and now…"

Gordo leaned back a little, closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.

"Gordo?" she asked taking a loose grip on his shirt.

As he opened his eyes, he reached out and gently wiped away some of the fresh tears. "I want you to take some time. Sort through your feelings."

Gordo gently put her back on the bed, and stood up. Miranda quickly grabbed his hand. "I don't want to lose you."

Gordo looked back at her and used what little inner strength he had left to keep himself together. He gently stroked the top of her hand with his thumb. "You'll never lose me. We may not be together but I'll always be your best friend."

Miranda let go and watched as he walk towards the door. He stopped in the doorway. "Rand," Gordo looked back at her. "Don't make me wait too long."

Miranda watched him walk out and laid back down on her bed. _"Why can't anything be easy!"_ Tears began to fall again as she curled up and pulled her afghan over her head.


	8. What Miranda Wants

To my reviewers – 50! Thank you. Only one more chapter after this.

Hermione-Granger17 – I knew I got it from somewhere but I couldn't remember where.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 8 – What Miranda Wants

It had been a few days since her conversation with Gordo and while it seemed simple enough, Miranda was struggling to figure out what she really wanted. Now she had to go to a fitting for Lizzie's wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses.

As she sat in a nearby chair in her maid of honor's dress, Miranda stared out into space.

Lizzie was standing on a small stage with full length mirrors. She had designed her wedding dress and was now getting the final alterations done to it. Looking in the mirror, Lizzie could see her friend's reflection. Once the seamstress was done, Lizzie stepped down and turned around to face Miranda.

"So how do I look?"

Miranda snapped out of her daze and looked up at her. "Beautiful," she said putting on a fake smile.

"Miranda talk to me."

"I don't know." She started to smooth out the skirt of her dress. "Why is this so hard? There is no way in hell I'm going back to Ryan but I …" she trailed off.

"It's hard to let go of the fairytale."

Miranda stood up and looked at her confused. "What?"

"The fairy tale. You were in a romantic city and got swept off your feet. Even though it fell apart, it's hard to give it up. Happily ever after doesn't exist."

"Ok, fine. If Ryan was my fairy tale, what's Gordo?"

"Reality."

Miranda turned and looked at her reflection in the mirrors. "Where do you get this stuff?"

Lizzie just shrugged. "When you seriously picture your future, it's Gordo you see yourself with."

"How do you…"

Lizzie interrupted her. "It's written all over your face." She laughed as Miranda blushed.

"So what do I do now?"

"What do you want?"

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Now you sound like Gordo."

"Sometimes even geniuses get it right." They both started laughing at the inside joke. "Seriously, what do you want?"

Miranda took a deep breath and turned away from the mirrors. "I want someone who's cute…smart…funny…"

Lizzie grinned at her, "About 5'7", curly black hair, blue eyes, and Jewish," she teased her.

"Shut up."

Lizzie started laughing as Miranda's blush grew deeper. Lizzie linked her arm with Miranda's and they started walking towards the changing rooms. "Promise me you'll talk to him. You two would be so great together."

"I'll talk to him," Miranda agreed with her. The problem now was how was she going to tell him.

After changing out of their dresses, Lizzie had to go visit her parents and Miranda decided to go home.

Walking inside the house, she was happy that she was the only one home. After changing into a pair of sweats, she laid down on the couch and started flipping through the channels.

"Daytime tv sucks. How many talk shows can you have?" Just as she shut off the television, the door bell rang.

Walking over to the door, she looked through the small window to see who it was. _"Gordo!"_

Like on instinct, she quickly took stock of how she looked and cringed. _"Sweats! Great. At least I'm still wearing my makeup."_

Opening the door, Miranda felt her heart start pounding. "Hey," she tried to say as calmly as possible.

"Hey." Gordo looked at her nervously, "Can we talk?"

"Su…Sure." She stepped aside to let him in.

Walking into the living room, they both sat on the couch. An uneasy silence filled the room as they both slowly scanned the room and then finally looked at each other.

After a few minutes, Gordo broke the silence. "I don't want to pressure you but I need to tell you something. I mean, it affects us but I don't want you to feel like I'm pushing you or anything."

She couldn't help but smile as Gordo began to ramble. When he started going, it was hard to stop him.

"Gordo!"

"Uh?"

Miranda reached out and touched his arm. "What is it?"

Gordo took a deep breath. "I got a job offer."

Miranda's face lit up. "Great. What is it?" At first she was excited but when Gordo frowned, she suddenly started to get nervous.

"I have been offered a film to direct. It's a great opportunity. They want me to start as soon as possible."

The way Gordo was acting, she knew there was bad news coming. "That's a bad thing?"

"Its…Its in Toronto."

Miranda fought back tears and looked at Gordo, incredibly surprised to see him doing the same. She suddenly felt her heart wrench.

"I don't want to leave. Especially when…" he trailed off.

Miranda swallowed a big lump in her throat. "When what?"

"I'm in love with you," he said in a whisper.

"You love me?" she choked out. Gordo nodded. Miranda moved her hand down his arm and took his hand.

"It's a big opportunity but if we have a chance, there's no way in hell I'm giving that up. Those six months in New York, were the longest of my life."

"Gordo…" She squeezed his hand and with her other, reached out and stroked Gordo's cheek. "Why do you have to be so damn sweet?"

"Does that mean…" he said with a truly clueless expression.

"Yes. I love you," Miranda choked out. A small laugh escaped her lips as his face seemed to light up.

"Come on," Gordo said getting up and pulling her up with him. "We need to celebrate."

"Gordo, I look horrible."

He quickly wrapped his arms around her, "No you don't. Besides were only going for pizza."

"Pizza?"

Gordo snickered, then grinned. "Well we could always go to the Holy Rigatoni."

Miranda glared at him, "Will you ever let me live that down?"

"Nope. Ok, go change and we'll go out."

As Gordo let go, Miranda went upstairs to change.

Miranda and Gordo had spent almost the entire night out. After pizza, they got ice cream, and then went for a night walk through the park. By the time they got back to the Sanchez's, it was near midnight.

They stood in the backyard, looking up at the stars. Gordo stood behind Miranda, with his arms around her, pointing out the constellations. She wasn't really paying attention to him, but just enjoying the feeling of his arms and the sound of his voice.

Suddenly Gordo's watch alarm went off. Miranda turned around and wrapped her own arms around his waist. "What was that?"

Gordo leaned in and whispered. "Happy Birthday."

Before Miranda could even react, Gordo kissed her. It was a small, quick kiss but it sent Miranda reeling.

Gordo grinned at Miranda's stunned expression. Slowly she regained herself and smiled softly at him. "You better be careful, I could get used to this side of you."

He snickered. "Get used to it." Gordo then leaned in and kissed her again.


	9. Happily Ever After?

To brie, era, Atlanta Enchanted, supgirljen, Espanachick, the gifted one, starcraze, melissaL, PinkPrincess1, ugly duckling06, Neopet of Yu-Gi-Oh, SaharaGirl, Romaqueen3, Serenity Blossom, tormented soul, D. Torres, I3itterSweet, falln-angl, Hermione-Granger17, Hopla, Lanna07 - Thank you. I am really happy this story got over so well.

D.Torres – This is the final chapter. This chapter is sorta like an epilogue, like what happens nine months later. You know how fairy tales usually end with happily ever after, well I wanted to take that idea and build the final chapter around it.

tormented soul – Wow. Thank you. I really am my worst critic. I hope you're happy, its because of people like you that I can't get my muse to shutup. LOL. I try to leave positive reviews because I think while its important to point out glaring mistakes an author made, they also need the encouragement that people like their stuff. As for more stories, right now I have two one-shots that will be up soon and I'm working on some more chaptered stories.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 9 – Happily Ever After?

Gordo dropped onto his couch and started to flip through the channels. During the morning, Larry (Tudgeman), Todd, and Ethan (Craft) had helped him move into his new apartment and he had spent the rest of the afternoon arranging everything.

A month after turning down the movie in Toronto, he had gotten work directing episodes for various television series and commercials, and was getting close to getting another shot at his first film.

The television directing had earned him enough money to rent a large flat but his stuff barely filled half it.

_"Its missing something."_ With a tired sigh, he shut the television off and closed his eyes.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, someone knocked. _"What the…"_ Slowly pushing himself off the couch, he made his way to the door.

Opening it, he was greeted by a smiling Miranda. "Took you long enough," she said as she walked inside.

He snickered and smiled back. "Nice to see you too."

As Gordo watched her walk in, he took in the sight of her. She was wearing a navy blue business suit with a white blouse and blue heels. He noticed the skirt fall just above her knees and in his opinion, amazingly showed her stocking clad legs. Gordo suppressed an almost animalistic growl and he watched her hips slightly sway as she walked away from him. _"Nine months and she can still take my breath away."_

Closing the door, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and followed her into the kitchen. "How was the meeting?" Gordo asked leaning against the door frame

Gordo had found out through an acquaintance, a movie producer was looking for a someone to make them a 18th century dress for their movie. He had told the producer of Miranda and Lizzie and arranged a meeting between the two.

"Alright. He's gonna be meeting with a few others but he liked what we drew. Business is picking up but were still in the red," Miranda answered as she dropped her bag on a nearby counter.

"Where are the guys?" she asked grabbing a glass and filling it with water.

"We finished a few hours ago."

After taking a drink, "Did Larry say how Amy is doing?"

Larry and Amy Chen had met in college at Harvard and had quickly married after graduation. When they had came back to California this past fall, Amy had quickly been befriended by Lizzie and Miranda.

Gordo laughed, which earned a confused glance from Miranda. "They're having twins, a boy and a girl. Larry wants to name them Leia and Luke."

Miranda rolled her eyes and laughed. "What's Amy say?"

"Let's just say it involves his toy lightsaber and something I'm not sure is physically possible."

Miranda laughed again and then let out a large yawn. Turning around, she put the glass on the counter.

Gordo walked up to her, put his hands on her shoulder and started to gently rub them. "Hungry?"

"That a trick question?" Closing her eyes, she slowly began to relax. "Mmm."

"What do you want?" he said as he continued to rub her shoulders.

Miranda turned around, reached out and put her arms on his shoulders. "As long as I don't have to make it, I don't care."

"Take out it is," he joked. Gordo walked back out to living room and sitting down on the couch, started going through some menus.

"I'm gonna go change." Grabbing her bag, she followed him out. "I hate wearing business suits."

Gordo looked up at her with a grin. "But you look so good in them."

On her way by, Miranda reached over the back of the couch and grabbed underneath Gordo's chin. Pulling him backwards, she titled his head up, leaned over the back of the couch and gave him a passionate kiss. "I'll be right back." Pulling back, she smiled as Gordo groaned.

On instinct, Gordo licked his lips. Then his grin broadened and he turned around on the couch, watching her walk to the bedroom. "How about we skip dinner and go right to desert?"

Miranda gave him an innocent smile and a small laugh. She walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Gordo turned back around and after taking a few minutes to calm down, he started flipping through the menus again.

After about fifteen minutes, Gordo had narrowed it down to Chinese or Pizza. He figured he let Miranda make the final decision. Getting up, he walked over to the bedroom door. Knocking, he waited for an answer.

"Come in."

Gordo opened the door and walked in with his head down reading one of the menus. "Which do you want, Chinese or Piz…" He trailed off as he looked up and his mouth dropped open at the sight in front him.

Miranda was laying in his bed naked, her upper body propped up by the pillows and the covers were barely covering her waist. "Something wrong?" she said with a smirk.

A boyish grin appeared on his face. "What are you doing?"

"You said you wanted to skip dinner and go straight to desert," she said in a seductive tone.

She laughed as his eyebrows shot up and his eyes went wide in surprise. "You mean you…"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes David. I want to have sex with you," she said bluntly. _"For a smart guy, he sure does miss the obvious."_

Miranda had never seen him move so fast; Gordo quickly stripped and laid down next to her.

"You sure you're ready for this?" he said softly.

"Yes," then she quickly added sarcastically, "Third time's the charm."

Gordo grabbed her around her waist and pulled her to him. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said as she pushed him on his back and moved ontop of him.

Their hands exploring the other's body and they started kissing, only breaking for lack of air. This time, there was nothing that was going to stop them.

Miranda reached over and opened a drawer in the nightstand. Grabbing a condom, she shut the drawer and opened the package.

Miranda smiled as he heard him take a sharp intake of breath as she put it on him. Gordo felt his body react to her touch and a shiver shoot up his spine.

Gordo wrapped an arm around her waist and gently flipped them. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear. "Ready?" He smiled as Miranda responded by grabbing the back of his neck, hungrily kissed the nape of his neck, and grinding her body against his. _"I'll take that as a yes."_

A few hours later, they lay tangled with each other underneath the sheets. Miranda laid snuggled up against Gordo's side, with her head resting on his chest. "Rand."

"Mmm?" she answered with a tired voice. She was exhausted but incredibly happy. She had had sex before but this time it was different, it felt more complete. _"I wonder if this is what the difference between making love and having sex is."_

"I've been thinking."

"Never a good sign," she teased him.

"Keep it up," he said tickling her side.

Miranda started wiggling in his arms and laughing hysterically. "Stop….Alright…. I'm sorry," she said in between laughs. "Ok. What were you thinking?" Miranda said trying to catch her breath.

"This place is missing something."

Miranda folded her arms on his chest and rested her chin on top of her hands. "What?"

"I don't know, I was thinking a women's touch." He watched in amusement as a small smile formed on Miranda's face. "Maybe we could move in some of your stuff."

"Oh and what exactly of my stuff do you want?"

Gordo snickered. "Well maybe your dresser, I still need a desk," he paused for a second and then smiled, "oh and of course you."

"Yes. I'll move in with you," she answered him excitedly.

"I wasn't talking about moving in," he said trying to keep a straight face.

Miranda sat up and looked down at him confused. "You weren't? Then what was…"

Before she could finish, Gordo pulled her back down so she was laying ontop of him. Wrapping his arms around her, he looked her dead in the eyes. "Marry me," he said softly.

Miranda's eyes went wide and her lips started trembling. "You…What…Uh?"

He took his hands off her back and cupped her face. "Will…you…marry…me?"

When it finally registered in her mind, she started crying. Gordo started whipping tears from her face. "Rand?" She was scaring him, he was afraid because of what had happened with Ryan.

"Yes."

Now it was Gordo's turn to be confused. "What?"

"Yes," she repeated and then kissed him hard. Pulling back slightly and resting her forehead against his, she repeated herself. "Yes, I'll marry you."

Their lips met again and before either could think anymore, they made love again.

Later that night, Gordo woke up. Turning his head, he looked over at his alarm clock. _"4:00am."_

Looking down at his chest, he smiled. Miranda was asleep on his chest with a huge smile on her face. He bent his head forward and kissed the top of her head. "I love you," he whispered. His smile grew wider, when Miranda snuggled closer to him and let out a happy sigh.

Pulling the sheets up so they were just above her shoulders, he put his head back down and was about to fall back asleep when he heard Miranda call his name softly. "David."

Picking his head up again, "Yea."

She turned her head so she was looking at him. "I love you too." They smiled at each other and just gazed into each other's eyes.

"Night Rand," Gordo laid his head back down and closed his eyes.

"Night Gordo." Closing her eyes, she put her head back down on his chest and listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart. _"Liz was wrong. Gordo's my fairy tale and happily ever after does exist."_


End file.
